The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-15
A POOR FARM PURCHASED
THE COUNTY ACQUIRES THE
PRITCHARD TRACT.

a Valuable Addition to the County'5
Property Unhealthy Swamps to be
Drained and Reclaimed-How the
Treasury Will be Reimbursed-A
Heavy Tax Avoided.
The County Commissioners, under the
State law authorizing them to provide for
the county poor, have been trying for some
time to find suitable location for a county
poor farm. Several places were offered,
but either the location did not suit or the
price asked was too much About a month
ago Or. Paul Pritchard. the owner of the
Acton" and "Queensbury" plantations,
two inland rice places lying between
the City and Suburban railway and the
White Bluff road, and on both sides of the
Montgomery crossroad, offered them for sale.
The tract comprises 1850 acres, part high
land and part swamp, the latter being used
as ''backwaterH for overlooking and irrigat-
ing the rice. The plantations are probably
the two oldest in the State, and were at one
time a portion of the property of the origi-
nal Whitfield Orphan House, and known as
the Bethesda grant, but the property was
sold by the State, to which it re-
verified on the lapse of the trust
given to the Countess of Huntingdon and
Rev. George Whitfield, in 1904. Since then
the plantations have been owned by various
parties. 1t is the last inland rice plantation
in Chatham county, excepting one and that
is a great distance from the city.
FOR THE POOR AND THE CONvICTs.
The Casey canal runs through the entire
length Of the place and its banks have prob
ably made it much more valuable as a rice
producing plantation The holding of the
water in the swamps for planting purposes
has been a great dra wback to the proper
drainage of that section of the county. As
soon as possession is given the county au-
thorities will proceed to thoroughly drain
the property and build good roads through
it. An eligible and healthy site will be set
apart for tho county poor farm, and poSsi-
bly, a place selected for permanent convict
camp. The large area Of land purchased
will permit OF those institutions, being
located sufficient distance apart not to in
terfere with each other.
TO REIMBURSE THE TREASURY.
1t is proposed that so much of the land as
may not be required forp ublic purposes shall
Doe laid off into small farms and sold, and
it is expected that sufficient amount will be
realized from such sales to reimburse the
treasury for the greater part, If not all of
the outlay, tt purchase of this property
has been looked forward to for years as a
necessity to the work of properly draining
IDe lpNldlllS near JHe Guy. US Jlle DdCAhR
up of the water in one swamp-Such lands
being more or less connected-holds the
water in others. The happy solution of the
difficulty is said to have suggested itself in
the search for a site for county
poor farm, and that great public work, the
Casey canal, may be said to be completed,
with the purchase and drainage of the prop
erty just purchased from DIR. Pritchard
The price paid for the property was $14, 900,
one-half cash and the balance on time.
In purchasing this property the County
Commissioners acted under section 155 of the
Code, which gives them authority. Upon
the recommendation of the grand jury of
the county to purchase a house
and farm in the county upon which farm
they may require all paupers in the county
TO labor, who are not, from old age and dis
ease, unable to work"
The grand jury of Chatham county has
repeatedly urged the purchase of a poor
farm, and S, 900 have been set aside for that
purpose BY the purchase of the Pritchard
track many ends are gained. The swamps
that lie in the directions from which the pre-
vailing winds blow will be drained, and
that unhealthy spot will be disposed of for
ever. When the land has been drained,
opened by roads, and laid off in small
patches it will enhance the value of the
property so greatly that there seems to be
no doubt but that the Commissioners will
be able to sell portion Of it for as much AS
the cost of the whole tract and thus a poor
farm and permanent convict camp will be
acQuired for nothing.
THE VALUE OF A POOR FARM,
Should the county realize nothing, how
ever, it would get off cheap 1t now ex-
tends large amounts of money on the pau
pers which would be saved to it by the farm.
The county gave the poor S5,0l3 so IN
1884, S4.S75 is in 1885 and
$4,659 IL in 1885. Besides these
amounts the Georgia Infirmary gets $1,000
year, the City Hospital $1,000, and St
Joseph's lntirmarv $500. Donations to the
hospitals will continue, but the hospital ex-
penses will be cut down, and the county
will not have to provide so literally. The
$500 or 5000 that is paid annually to the
paupers will, TO great extent, he saved
a small portion of that goes to people
who are in unfortunate circumstances, but
who would not go to a poor house That,
however, is but a small percentage of the
amount The poor farm will rid the city of
mendicants, for when persons are found beg
ging they will be sent to the poor farm. or
out OF the county, whichever they may Sc
lect.
DISAGREEABLE POSSIBILITY.
The Commissioners have chosen to make
the purchase and provide place for the
poor where they will he almost. if not alto
to a more costly and Cumbersome means of
taking care of them. Section 514 (a) of
the Code says: THE county authorities
who are charged with the control of
the finances of their county shall
be, and are hereby, authorized to levy
tax for the support of the paupers of their
county, which shall not exceed IS per cent
upon the amount of the State tax for the
year such pauper tax is levied. The poor
farm will obviate the possibility of an
occasion for levying that tax arising.
The State tax this year will amount TO more
than $4,000, and if the Commissioners
should be called upon TO levy that tax, the
taxpayers of the county would have to go
down in their pockets for over Sl5. 900 more
than they with now have to pay. This
amount will, however, be saved to them,
and the value of the county's property will
be greatly increased.